Friction roll holder



1967 F. J. MOORE FRICTION ROLL HOLDER Filed Oct. 22, 1965 Illllhl L AW r a w T 2 Fkmvc/s .Z' Moaat lira mvars United States Patent 3,318,543 FRICTION ROLL HOLDER Francis J. Moore, 3825 Joppa Ave., Minneapolis, Minn. 55416 Fiied Oct. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 500,694 1 Claim. (Cl. 242-552) This invention relates to paper roll holding equipment and more particularly to toilet paper roll holders or the like wherein the paper roll is held in a specific position such that a friction surface is provided for actuation against the roll surface and wherein the friction provided between the surfaces is in direct proportion to the size of the roll to thereby decrease as the roll decreases in diameter.

Various toilet paper roll holders and the like have been previously provided which are directed to saving paper and to accomplish this saving feature a certain stopping force is applied to the roll to prevent unnecessary rolling of the paper therefrom when the force applied to the paper to normally remove the same is removed. Many of these friction type roll holders or roll holders similarly directed to saving of paper require a complicated spring structure in order to maintain a friction stopping force which decreases when the diameter of the roll decreases. Naturally in use, as the amount of paper on a roll decreases the eflective lever arm of the paper being pulled from the roll decreases and in order to stop the roll and likewise to permit effective rolling of the roll when paper is being removed any friction force provided must decrease in magnitude as the amount of paper and thus the lever arm of the force applied decreases in accordance with the size of the roll.

Applicant has provided herein a unique adaptor mechanism which may be attached to the presently available toilet paper roll holders which eliminates the heretofore used friction springs and rather relies upon this positioning of the roll thereon to obtain the effective decreasing friction force to permit ease of removal of the paper from the roll which likewise providing a friction force to stop the roll from rotating and thus stop removal of the paper when the removal force is taken from the paper. The device as provided by applicant may be provided in several various forms and one'of these forms includes an adaptor device which may be affixed to the presently available telescoping roll holders or which may be used as a single unit which incorporates a positioning mechanism for properly positioning the roll within a roll holder frame.

In designing this particular unit applicant has made an effective use of the surface of the paper itself as one of the friction surfaces and has thereby eliminated the use of any complicated spring mechanism or the like. Rather than such spring mechanisms applicant cants or cocks the roll Within a roll housing such that a portion of the roll is in contact with a side of the housing and this contact is maintained at the outer periphery of the roll such that as the roll decreases in size the effective lever arm providing the stopping action is reduced accordingly.

It is therefore an object of applicants invention to provide an adaptor mechanism for use on standard paper roll holders and the like which will provide a certain friction force on the roll such that the paper will be easily removable therefrom upon the application of a removal force but which will ordinarily stop rotation and thus stop removal of paper from the roll when such removal force is terminated.

It is a further object of applicants invention to provide a means for canting or cocking a toilet paper roll or the like within a holder or housing such that certain select portions of the outer periphery of the roll will be in con- "ice tact with the holder unit such that a friction force is established therebetween which friction force will decrease in effectiveness as the diameter of the roll decreases in effectiveness.

It is a further object of applicants invention to provide a unit for effectively retarding the unwanted removal of paper from a toilet paper roll or the like by providing a unit which will effectively stop the free rotation of a paper roll upon its holder but will permit rotation thereof upon the application of a removal force.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will more fully appear from the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a typical installation of a roll holder and housing in a mounting surface such as a wall;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section taken substantially along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section taken substantially along line 3*3 of FIG. 1 and having portions thereof broken away to particularly illustrate certain features of the unit; and

FIG. 4 is a modified form of the unit which illustrates its adaption to a complete roll holder member.

In accordance with the accompanying drawings a standard, readily available toilet paper roll holder or the like provided for installation into a wall includes a housing 10 which has an outward flange 11 arranged to normally abut with the surface of the wall and which includes a depressed, curved surface 12 for housing a roll of paper therein such that only approximately one-half the paper extends outwardly from the wall. A pair of trunnions 1313 are normally arranged on the vertical portions of the flange sections 11 and these trunnions are provided with receiving apertures therein to receive the roll holder portion of the unit 14.

In the form shown and as commonly known the roll holder portion 14 includes a pair of telescoping members 15-16 having reduced end portions 15a-16a which end portions are receivable into the apertures formed within the trunnions 13. The telescoping sections 15-16 of course permit the insertion and removal of the holder 14 from the unit to facilitate positioning of the roll of paper thereon.

Normally the roll holder 14 is of a diametrical size substantially reduced from that of a core C of a standard toilet paper roll P. This size difference then permits free rotation between the paper roll P and the holder member 14 and it should be obvious that such free rotation will permit the roll P to continue rotation and permit removal of paper after a removal force has been terminated.

With the adaptor generally designated 20 as provided herein by applicant the roll holder portion 14 will not be free to ordinarily rotate within the trunnions 13 and the roll itself P will be substantially held from rotation unless a removing force is applied to the roll P. In the first or preferred form, which is the adaptor 20 form the unit is provided and consists of a substantially longitudinal extending housing portion 21 receivable over one oi the telescoping sections 15 or 16 and which is provided with an internal shoulder 21a to abut with the reduced shoulder portion existing between the reduced trunnion receiving element 16a and the standard telescoping section 16. A slit or other spreading device may be provided within the longitudinally extending cylindrical housing 21 to permit the insertion of the standard roll section 16 therein.

In order to prevent rotation of the adaptor 20 and no combined roller member 14 a generally U-shaped bracket member generally designated 22 is provided on one end of the adaptor 20 and includes a pair of longitudinally extending ear elements 23 extending outwardly therefrom to be received about the trunnion member 13. As best illustrated in FIGS, 2 and 3 these ear elements 23 normally provide engagement with the sides of the trunnions 13 and the flange portions 11 of housing such that rotation is completely stopped between the trunnion and the associated holder portion now consisting of holder member 14 and adaptor 20. This ear supporting element for the adaptor unit 20 may consist of a ring formed at least partially around the adaptor 20 with the extending cars 23 securely aflixed thereto.

The roll canting or cocking device is designated 24 and consists of a radially extending core engaging member securely arranged on the outer periphery of the adaptor element 20 to extend as illustrated in FIG. 2 generally upwardly and outwardly from the normal axis established between the trunnions 1313. The length of this canting element 24 is so designed to properly place a roll of paper P in such a position that its opposite ends designated EF will engage the inner surface of the depressed portion 12 of holder unit 10 such that there is a friction force establishedbetween such ends EF and the inner surface of the depressed housing 12. In this manner it should be obvious that as the roll P is rotated a certain friction force is established between the paper and housing surface which will impede the rotation of the roll and will substantially stop the rotation thereof upon the removal of the force pulling the paper from the roll. V

The particular location of this canting or cocking member 24 is determined such that the opposite ends E and F of the roll will contact the sides of the depressed portion 12 of the housing 10 during the entire use of the roll and in this manner a friction force decreasing in effectiveness is constantly applied to the roll P. As particularly illustrated in FIG; 2'this canting or cocking member 24 may be offset to vertical such that a greater contact area of the ends EF of the roll P are provided. If the roll were arranged vertically only a lesser friction contact surface would be provided.

From this preferred form it should be obvious that a frictionforce isconstantly applied to a roll of paper mounted on such an adaptor unit which friction force reduces in elfectiveness as the sizeof the roll is decreased. Naturally as the size of the roll is decreased a removal .force of decreased magnitude is necessary for the removal of paper from the roll and therefore 'only a substantially reduced friction force is required to prevent free rotation of the roll. i In the form shown in FIG. 4 which is a modified form of the invention the canting member 24 is illustrated as an inclusionon a standardly produced roll holder member 14. In the form shown in FIG. 4 eachof the individual elements are numbered and identified as in FIGS. 1, 2 and.3 and the unit of course consists of the telescoping members 16a thereon to be received in the openings within the trunnions 13. One additional feature is necessary on this modified version which feature prevents the normal rotation of the roll holder 14 and this in the'form shown consists of a stop member 25 which extends longitudinally outward from one telescoping portion 16 and which is receivable into a slot 13a formed in the trunnion element 13 of the roll holder. This stop member 25 substantially takes the same form and produces the same action as the heretofore mentioned ear elements 23 which is to prevent normal rotation of the roll holder 14 within the trunnions 13. It should be obvious that the adaptor certainly could be included as standard construction on the roll holder-and it is this fact that this modified form takes into consideration,

15-16 which have reduced end portions 15a- In this modified form the canting or cocking element 24 again is provided in secured relation to one of the telescoping elements 16 and is arranged normally offset to a vertical position such that the modified form holds the roll of paper P in the same friction producing position as heretofore discussed for this adaptor form.

The unit as provided herein then includes the possibility of an adaptor unit and a completely manufactured unit which includes the canting element and means to prevent rotation of the roll holder within the trunnions of the holder housing and which rather permits limited rotat on of a paper roll about an axis established by the extension of the canting element 24.

The effect of either of the two discussed forms is to hold a roll of paper inserted thereon in substantially canted fashion to engage portions of the roll with certain portions of the housing into which the holder is placed. This engagement of the roll with the housing will provide a cer- V tain friction force which will normally retard the rotation of the paper roll about the roll holder unless a removal force is being applied to the paper contained thereon. Further, as the roll decreased in diameter through the re.- moval of paper the friction force will be substantially reduced as the effective friction surface will be at a closer distance from the axis of rotation then in a full situation.

It should be obvious that applicant has provided a new and unique roll holder device which will prevent free rotation of a roll of paper upon a holder unit which prevention is provided through a constantly reducing friction force on at least selected portions of the paper roll.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the .form, details, arrangements and proportion of parts without departing from the scope of my invention, which generally stated consists in the matter set forth in the appended claim.

What I claim is: 7

An adaptor element for toilet paper roll holders or the like which roll holders include a roll housing member having a substantially concave recessed portion for receiv-' (b) a pair ofear elements extending longitudinally outward from the adaptor and arranged to engage op- -posite sides of said trunnion member to prevent. a

rotation of the combined adaptor and roll holder within said trunnion;

(c) a roll canting element extending normally outward from said adaptor and securely attached thereto which canting element normally cants a roll of paper received thereon into friction contacting position wherein the opposite ends of the roll received thereon f 1 will engage the inner surfaces of said concave recess of said housing whereby a friction force is provided therebetween to normally prevent rotation of the roll about the canting element.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,201,052 5/1940 Parsons 242- 5553 2,477,367 7/1949 Cavalieri 242,52

FRANK J. COHEN, Primary Examiner. LEQNARD D. CHRISTIAN, Examiner 

